Fishing with Steve On a Smokey Night

3.75lbs Bobby's Perfect

Sumo's non-magical brother Buddha

6:00-9:30PM F Flat, Reeds Across N & S, Inlet to Cookie Jar
74-82℉, Haze/Smoke, 2-4mph ENE

Steve wanted to come with tonight, so I stayed close to start hitting the Reeds across the way first. Actually, I started outside the reeds and got a bass on my very first cast on the Blitz Frog. I missed a couple of blow-ups in the reeds. I pulled out of the reeds and got a couple of nice Plake Lake Specials on the FireCraw eBay ChatterJig. I then went and picked up Stever. We went and worked the South Reed Line across the way. I got one Platte Lake special and a pike. Steve missed a bite of two. Then we went to NPLD Pt. Reeds & NPBI. I think I got a 2lber and a pike off the PT, and Steve missed a couple of bites and got a Platte Lake Special as well. Then we went to the center rice in Inlet. Steve got the big fish of the night there. I was trying to get that stupid Snagproof Kicker Frog knocked off my 2021 Frog catches a bass list. I missed a couple of good opportunities that I wasn't ready for but eventually got a small bass against the rice wall. I erased the scale thinking I had taken a picture. I think we had 15-something for the night, so we were getting quality bites.

Steve: 4 Bass 5 Pike
Me: 6 Bass 5 Pike

Late Start, Nothing But Pike

7:40-8:35PM Channel Inn Bay
68-62℉, Sunny, 2-5mph SW
WT; 69℉, Water level possibly rising a little

I got a bass under the pontoon on the Terminator Jig after I got done mowing the lawn.  The Tatula Rod that I broke in Snatcher Darren's boat seems to work pretty well. It lost about 3" off of an extra fast tip on 7'1" rod.

I diddled around home and didn't get to the lake until after 7PM.  It had been really windy today and I didn't anticipate it dropping off like it did.  I headed for Channel Inn Bay and I started off the rice point.  There was fish activity on the top way up in the junk and way out to the South.  There was one blow up close enough for me to get to but I didn't get a hit.  I had a Blitz Sexy get bit off.  Had several other pike mess with the frogs and caught one pike on the Black Blitz.  I lost one fish around 8:30 off of some pads that might have been a bass. Tough night.

"Sometimes you get kicked"

The Hail Mary Worked

3.10lb/17" Jackall Pompadour

7:30-8:30PM East of Jenny's to Jenny's West Neighbor, NPBI
68-66℉, Partly Cloudy, 3-12mph SW
69-67℉ water level rising.

I arrived at the lake place at a quarter to six.  I knew from the radar that a small isolated storm was approaching at a snail's pace.  I got my gear in the boat hoping it might dissipate.  It didn't and I didn't get out fishing until 7:30PM.  I'm pretty sure this squall put us over an inch for the day. The winds were fairly light when I got out.  I chose to go start at the start of the rice East of Jenny's.  There was baitfish activity out on the flat, but I couldn't raise anything there or in the rice.  I did have a small pike hit in front of Jenny's that got off on the way in and I had the Sexy Blitz get bit off in the junk just West of Jenny's.  I made a move to the Reeds Across, but the wind had come up and it was unfishable with topwater.  I made a last desperation move to the North Point Big Island and I got the 17-incher there.  The wind really started howling as I packed up to leave.  I'm lucky I didn't lose my yellow tint sunglasses.  Fortunately, they fell into the boat. 

Not On Top Morning/Two Big Girls And Some Rats In the Evening

 4 Plus of Blitz Sexy in the Evening

15.5" Piranha 2/Speed Craw (Junebug)

6:00-9:30AM West Point, NPBI, N Across Flat/Rice/Reeds
66-50℉, Mostly Sunny, 3-6mph East
WT: 71℉

I started at West Point and got a rat off of the dock on the Piranha 2.  I missed a bite off of the tree dock.  I then headed to NPBI where they were not on topwater.  I did get the biggest one of the morning there on the Piranha and a rat and pike on a junebug craw tube.  I then went to North Reeds Across and worked the flat in the calm water.  I picked up one pike there on the bone Shower Blows.  I got another pike in the rice; thought for sure it was going to be a bass.  I got into the reeds and had 14/15 bass get off as I was lifting it into the boat.  That was the only bass to hit the Blitz Frog in the morning.  I got a couple of pike on the Tokyo Rig/craw tube combo and missed a couple of bites as well as I worked my way out of the reeds. 
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4.36lbs/19.75lbs Blitz Frog (Frog)

4.43lbs/19.66" Blitz Sexy

6:40-8:40PM East of Jenny's
68-73℉, Mostly Sunny, 4-11mph SE

So with the wind being what it was, I headed to the start of the rice East of Jenny's.  That first patch looks excellent.  First fish was the 19.75" slop on the Blitz Frog (Frog).  She got it in the tongue and bled quite a bit which led to an extended release time as I held her in the water to stop the bleeding then put it in the livewell to make sure she would make it.  I think she made it.  I then caught a couple of rats out of the shallow rice and one under the dock on the Blitz Sexy.  I had a bass not hook up off the end of the rice.  I got a 14-incher there on the Yum Dinger.  I started working down the rice line and got the second tank out of the rice/reeds/pads about 15 feet in. I got a couple more rats in the long boat lane and that was as far as I got.  I didn't have a single pike strike tonight.

15.63lbs for my Best 6 of the Day.  A disappointing weight with two 4lbers

Short Morning Topwater Window/Missed a Big'n In The Deep Melon Patch

16.25" Pompadour (Bone)

Sneaky Fitch!!!

The view immediately after the Pompadour fish above

6:00-9:00AM West Point, NPBI, SPBI, SPSI, East of GOMH, Channel Inn Bay
65-50℉, Sunny, 0-3mph NW
WT: 72-70℉

I started at West Point.  I got a dink off of the pontoon lift on a Neko Yum Dinger.  I then had Sneaky Fitch disappear my orange Shower Blows Knock Off. I was like "why can't I see it? Am I hung up on a weed?" Nope, it was Sneaky Fitch.  I had a fish miss me over by the tree.  I then went to NPBI.  I paused the Pompadour and was going to adjust the trolling motor when the big one of the morning smoked it.  I then missed one on the Pomp.  I got a 14.5-incher on it a couple of casts later.  I threw the Piranha 2 for a few casts and got 16-incher on that.  I then moved to the SPBI.  Didn't get a bite.  I went to SPSI and got a dink quite a way beyond the point on the SBKO.  I went across and worked the Rice/Pads East of GOMH and didn't get a bite.  I then worked Channel Inn Bay.  Had a couple pike take the Blitz and missed one blowup in the rice.  It was dead so I called it a day at 9AM

7 Bass
2 Pike 
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3.02lbs/17.25lbs Blitz Frog (Black/red)

The pad system that got me

6:00-8:40PM Deep Melon Patch
76-70℉, Partly Cloudy, 0-9mph NW
WT: 76-72℉

I got a later start than I should have.  I went straight to the Deep Melon Patch where Todd and I started that one morning.  The Deep Melon Patch is an area that was literally unfishable last year because it was so weed-choked.  I didn't have much luck to start and there wasn't any activity around me.  I moved my way to the East and there started to be some activity.  First fish to hit the Blitz was a pike.  I got the first bass on the black Blitz around 7:20PM; It was the three-pounder.  I then had 16-incher miss the Blitz, but I got it on the Yum Dinger.  I then got into an area with some pike.  I got a 16.25" on the black Blitz that revealed its location to me.   I had a fish miss when the frog landed on a pad.  I pulled it off and a total tank lit me up.  I had it moving toward me, but it muscled me into a pad root and got off.  Don't know if it was a dog or bass, but it was a big fish.  I didn't think to put a waypoint down, doh.  That was my last bite of the night.

3 Bass
5 Pike

14.88lbs for my Best 6 Bass Today

Trying the Blitzkrieg

Blitz Lures Blitz Frog

First Bite fish in the boat

2nd Bite Bass In the Boat

16" Yum Dinger

6:20-8:40PM Todd's Hole, NW Juice
76-72℉, Mostly Sunny, 3-13mph NW
WT: 76-72℉ Water level rising from a couple of recent rains

The Blitz Lures Blitz Frog has the same body shape as my beloved Mad Maxx.  When I found out about them I had to give them a try so I ordered 3 of each color LandBigFish.com carries.  Blitz has a fourth color that LBF doesn't carry.  It's interesting, the black frog is a pretty exact match for the Mad Maxx with different softer plastic.  The other two colors don't have the vent hole in the back of the frog and are made from a little stiffer plastic and the body shape is a little different as well.  They all caught fish for me tonight.  The Blitz Frog color one got bit off, so I put on the black one and got a bass on my first cast with it.

With the way the wind was, I ditched my plan to go to the deep Melon Patch and headed for Todd's Hole.  It was really windy.  I started outside the rice on Big Bass Point and had a pike attack the Blitz frog and hook up on about my fifth cast.  I went into the Hole and also landed the first bass (14.25) to bite a Blitz Frog.  A jacked and rolled the second bass to bite the Blitz pretty good at the entrance to the Todd Hole and it got off.  I cast right back to the spot and got a 12.75-inch bass.  I worked the outside of the hole to the west and got a 15.5 off of some rice.

I decided to hit the NW juice rather than run to Deep Melon.  I missed my first bite along the outside of the rice.  I worked around the pad tip and got bit off, Grrr.  Put on the Black Blitz and got a bass on the first cast.  A little ways down I had a bass miss the Black Blitz as I was moving the frog up to an isolated rice/reed patch.  I got the fish on a Yum dinger.  I had a couple of fish dog me to end the evening.

I had two different deer fly's bite me on the top of my head through my hat.

Forgot to weigh a 14" Fish

7 Bass
4 Pike